Travel - British Isles

When a travel writer is stuck on home soil in the middle of a pandemic he meets Kris Rodgers, one of Britain's eminent metal detectorists. Dipping a toe in the hobby, Nigel quickly finds himself swept up in the world beneath the surface. Above the ground are a cast of fascinating and passionate people who open Nigel's eyes to a subterranean world of treasure and stories that bring the history of the island to life.

Scouring the country from Cornwall to Scotland in search of treasure and the best detectorists, Nigel finds himself more immersed in the culture than he bargained for and makes his own personal journey from cynicism to obsession in his trail through the heartlands of metal detecting. From women's groups who react against the hobby's male bias, to the 'Nighthawks' who risk jail-time in their pursuits, he finds his preconceptions disabused and gets to the heart of what makes this quiet community so obsessed with happy beeps.

Stuart Maconie takes a tour of places which have been influential in Britain’s literary and cinematic heritage recounting his travels with his usual blend of charm and wit.

The village of Marsden lies in the Pennines on the Lancashire/ Yorkshire border. In a series of funny, perceptive articles, Simon Armitage describes the place and its people.

The book follows the author's death-defying 200-mile journey in his antique Thomas Crapper bath - not just across the Channel, but around Kent - right up to the tremendous reception which awaited him under Tower Bridge. Tim met the Queen, and his bath now resides in the National Maritime Museum of Great Britain

The landscape of the British Isles is filled with history, much of which we miss as it flashes past the car window. Do we even realise that we're following the same path as the Tolpuddle Martyrs, or that we're driving past the exact spot where King Harold was killed, shot through the eye with an arrow?

As a lover of both history and the British countryside, Charlie Connelly decided to rectify this, and set out on a series of walks that recreate famous historical journeys. En route he retells the story of the original trip while discovering who and what now inhabit these iconic routes.

Told with Charlie's customary charm and wit, And Did Those Feet will reveal the historical secrets hidden in the much-loved coastal, country and urban landscapes of Britain.

The landscape of the British Isles is filled with history. Charlie Connelly sets out on a series of walks that recreate famous historical journeys. En route he reveals the historical secrets hidden in the much-loved coastal, country and urban landscapes of Britain.

In this book the author describes his stay on the Aran Islands in 1898 - 1901. During this time he gathered anecdotes, folklore and traditions which he used in later writings.

We have all heard the shipping forecast with it's many familiar names; Dogger, Fisher, Lundy, German Bight - to name but a few. For most of us, although the broadcast is familiar it is also baffling. Here the author unearths the history of the shipping forecast and ensures that it is no longer a mystery.

This solemn, rhythmic intonation of the shipping forecast on BBC radio is as familiar as the sound of Big Ben chiming the hour. Since its first broadcast in the 1920s it has inspired poems, songs and novels in addition to its intended objective of warning generations of seafarers of impending storms and gales.

Sitting at home listening to the shipping forecast can be a cosily reassuring experience. There's no danger of a westerly gale eight, veering southwesterly increasing nine later (visibility poor) gusting through your average suburban living room, blowing the Sunday papers all over the place and startling the cat.

Yet familiar though the sea areas are by name, few people give much thought to where they are or what they contain. In Attention All Shipping Charlie Connelly wittily explores the places behind the voice, those mysterious regions whose names seem often to bear no relation to conventional geography. Armchair travel will never be the same again.

Byron Rogers is a journalist who has travelled around Britain searching for the more eccentric happenings in the country. This collection brings together his quirkiest articles; from the octogenarian tri-athlete to the 'Ghost train' of Stalybridge.

Driven by his own passion for collecting Hunter Davies sets off in search of Britain's maddest museums. As he explores these hidden gems he soon discovers that they celebrate just about everything, from lawnmowers in Southport to pencils in Keswick. These eccentric collectors are Britain's finest and could live in no other country in the world.

When Henry VIII banned pilgrimage in 1538, he ended not only a centuries-old tradition of walking as an act of faith, but a valuable chance to discover the joy of walking as an escape from the burdens of everyday life. Much was lost when these journeys faded from our collective memory, but clues to our past remain. On an antique map in Oxford's Bodleian Library, a faint red line threading through towns and villages between Southampton and Canterbury suggests a significant, though long-forgotten, road. Renamed the Old Way, medieval pilgrims are thought to have travelled this route to reach the celebrated shrine of Thomas Becket. Described as England's Camino, this long-distance footpath carves through one of the nation's most iconic landscapes - one that links prehistoric earthworks, abandoned monasteries, Saxon churches, ruined castles and historic seaports. 

Over four seasons, travel writer Gail Simmons walks the Old Way to rediscover what a long journey on foot offers us today. In the age of the car, what does it mean to embrace 'slow travel'? Why does being a woman walking alone still feel like a radical act? In an age when walking connects the nation, can we now reclaim pilgrimage as a secular act? Winding 250 miles between the chalk hills and shifting seascapes of the south coast, Gail ventures deep into our past, exploring this lost path and telling a story of kings and knights, peasants and pilgrims, of ancient folklore and modern politics. Blending history, anthropology, etymology and geology, Gail's walk along the Old Way reveals the rich natural and cultural heritage found on our own doorstep.

In a bid to impress his not-quite-girlfriend Jennifer, Mark persuades her to accompany him on a journey to discover the true source of the river that flows past her London flat. Setting himself up with a classic Victorian camping skiff, he's ready for adventure and romance - but his plans are scuppered at the last minute by his manic mongrel mutt, Boogie. Boogie has bad breath, terrible wind and a tendency to moult all over your toast - and on top of all that, he can't swim. But Mark can't leave him behind - his friends refuse to look after him, and he has a reputation at all the kennels (the last time he stayed in one, even the other dogs complained).

Taking to the water, Mark comes face-to-face with a colourful assortment of river dwellers and dreams of Delia Smith, while Boogie meets his first Canada goose - and headbutts a swan... As they scull upstream, they pursue the elusive Jennifer, who leaves a trail of terrible poems, exotic takeaways and answerphone messages, but is somehow always elsewhere. Will she ever join Mark on his quest? Will they ever find the source of the Thames? And will Boogie ever learn to curb his disgusting habits?

Exploring the gardens, monuments, museums, and churches with walks both urban and rural, from the Bronte parsonage in Haworth to Zadie Smith's North London and Shakespeare's Stratford, The Book Lover's Bucket List takes you through some 100 wonderfully described literary sites and landscapes, complete with colour destination photographs and illustrations from the British Library collections. Start with Chaucer, Dickens and Larkin in Westminster Abbey. Spend an afternoon at Colliers Wood Nature Reserve in Nottinghamshire and take in the lake D. H. Lawrence described as 'all grey and visionary, stretching into the moist, translucent vista of trees and meadow'. Venture south to Cornwall and work your way up to the Scottish Highlands, taking detours to Northern Ireland in the west and Norfolk in the east - or simply drop in on the place nearest to you. Wherever you are in the United Kingdom, you're never far from something associated with a good book.

In Britons Through Negro Spectacles Merriman-Labor takes us on a joyous, intoxicating tour of London at the turn of the 20th century. Slyly subverting the colonial gaze usually placed on Africa, he introduces us to the citizens, culture and customs of Britain with a mischievous glint in his eye. This incredible work of social commentary feels a century ahead of its time, and provides unique insights into the intersection between empire, race and community at this important moment in history.

As the nation's oldest serving detectives, we know more about London than almost anyone. After all, we've been walking its streets and impulsively arresting its citizens for decades. Who better to take you through its less savoury side? We'll be chatting about odd buildings, odder characters, lost venues, forgotten disasters, confusing routes, dubious gossip, illicit pleasures and hidden pubs. We'll be making all sorts of odd connections and showing you why it's almost impossible to separate fact from fiction in London.

John Allen recalls the challenges of his life in mountain rescue, with accounts of real-life rescues and discussion of the use of helicopters and dogs in the rescue process. The book describes many of the interesting characters he has encountered and is laced with humour.

In 1982 the author set out alone in a thirty-foot ketch to sail round the British Isles. He had never before handled a boat at sea, but after three weeks of tuition, he took off into the blue, flying no ensign; an independent navigator with a sceptical outsiders eye for his homeland.

Following the publication of 'I Bought a Mountain', this book describes the author's tour through Wales in the 1950's. It says something about Wales and the Welsh at a time when political moves towards the Welsh Assembly are coming to fruition.

Tom Fort followed the course of the River Trent from its source to the sea, partly on foot and bicycle, but mostly in a fifteen foot punt. His journey showed him the hidden face of his own country and taught him much about the life of the river and the land it flows through.

Britain gave railways to the world, yet our own network is plagued with unreliable and overcrowded trains - not to mention sky-high ticket prices. Matthew Engel explores the history of Britain's railways by talking to everyone from politicians to platform staff.

Delightful essays on the unspoiled corners of England experienced by the author.

In 1934, JB Priestley published an account of his journey through England from Southampton to the Black Country, to the North East and Newcastle, to Norwich. In capturing and describing an English landscape and people hitherto unseen, he influenced the thinking and attitudes of an entire generation and helped formulate the formation of the welfare state.

A leisurely journey in a narrow boat up the Oxford Canal with vivid descriptions of a now bygone age giving a real insight into the rural scene and the way of life of the boat people in the early 1900s.

Every journey has its stories. Beginning with Enid Blyton and childhood in the Isle of Purbeck, Peter Fiennes embarks on a unique exploration of Britain. He follows in the footsteps of some our greatest writers, tracing the paths recorded in their books, journals and diaries. How much has time changed us? And has it been for better, or worse? Are we trapped in the past? Footnotes is a lyrical foray into our past and present, and a mesmerising quest to picture these isles anew.

Over the course of a year, historian and nature writer David Gange kayaked the weather-ravaged coasts of Atlantic Britain and Ireland from north to south. The story of his journey reveals how the similar ingredients of wind, rock and ocean have been transformed into wildly different Atlantic cultures. Drawing on the archives of islands and coastal towns, he shows that the histories of these stunning regions are of real importance in reconceptualising both the past and the future of the whole archipelago.

Cycling around Ireland Edward Enfield is enchanted by what he finds there; prehistoric fortresses, rugged landscapes and landladies who insist on taking care of him. Join him on his gentle ride up the west coast, seeing Ireland through his eyes.

After three years the Kerr family sell their orange farm in Mallorca and return to Scotland. Viewing Scotland with fresh eyes, this is the reverse of most life-style change journals.

At the age of 16 Margaret Fay Shaw left America to spend a year at a school near Glasgow. She loved Scotland and returned later to live with two sisters on South Uist. While there she made an important collection of Gaelic lore and song. Her story is a defence of Gaelic culture as well as a record of the life of a remarkable woman.

Spending time in nature is good for both our bodies and minds - but with our hectic lives (not to mention the unreliable British weather), it can be hard to get outside as much as we'd like. But fear not: we've selected some of BBC Radio 4's best nature documentaries to transport you to the great outdoors - and encourage you to take your own trip into the wild.

Discover the tranquility of canoeing down the River Waveney; go rambling in the countryside with Clare Balding; explore al fresco cooking with the Food Programme team and learn the history of Cornwall's colourful flower fields. Or why not go surfing in Scotland, off-grid in Wales or on a journey of a lifetime with Paralympian cyclist Karen Darke?

These captivating programmes will let you experience the sights and sounds of nature - from an oak woodland to a rainforest canopy and a rock pool - and introduce you to some remarkable naturalists, such as filmmaker Roger Deakin, author Robert Macfarlane, pioneering ornithologist Emma Turner, writer and poet Nan Shepherd, and perfumer and mountain photographer Walter Poucher.

Whether you're an intrepid explorer, a weekend micro-adventurer or simply a nature lover, you're sure to be inspired - so step away from your screen, get out into the open air and enjoy the beauty of the natural world.

Fairytales are one of our earliest cultural forms, and forests one of our most ancient landscapes. Yet both forests and fairy stories are at risk and their loss deprives us of our cultural lifeblood. Maitland visits forests through the seasons, from the exquisite green of a beechwood in spring, to the muffled stillness of a snowy pine wood in winter.

The eight hundred acres of Hampstead Heath lie just four miles from central London; and yet unlike the manicured inner-city parks, it feels like the countryside: it has hills and lakes, wild spots and tame spots. Hunter Davies has lived within a stone's throw of Hampstead Heath for more than sixty years and has walked on it nearly every day of his London life. For him, it is not just a place of recreation and relaxation but also a treasure-house of memories and emotions.

In The Heath, he visits all parts of this, the largest area of common land in Britain's capital city: from Kenwood House to the Vale of Health, from Parliament Hill to Boudicca's Mound, and from the Ladies Bathing Pond to the fabulous pergola. As he walks, Davies talks to the diverse array of individuals who frequent the Heath: regulars; visitors; dog walkers; stall holders at the weekly farmer's market; famous faces having their morning stroll; twenty-first-century hippies spreading peace, love and happiness.

Stuart Maconie goes in search of the places, people and events of the 20th century that shaped the look and character of modern Britain. From the death of Victoria to the demise of New Labour, he takes a single event from each decade that offers up a defining moment in our history and then goes in search of its legacy today. X rated, contains offensive language.

England is the most varied of countries; within its borders, life changes mile on mile. Roy Hattersley takes us on a journey around the English countryside. He celebrates crumbling churches and serene Victorian architecture, magnificent hills and wind-whipped coast, and above all, the quirky good humour and resilience of England's denizens.

At the end of the 1960s, Kenneth Allsop, a famous television presenter and literary man-about-town, left London and settled in rural Dorset. He was at his very happiest here, and for three years he devoted a weekly newspaper column to his day-to-day life at the mill, brimming with humor and delight for the wildlife which shared his home.

Max Adams explores Britain's lost early medieval past by walking its paths and exploring its lasting imprint on valley, hill and field. Each of his ten walk narratives form a portrait of a Britain, of fort and fyrd, crypt and crannog, church and causeway, holy well and memorial stone.